


Policies of Relation

by runawayballista



Category: Red vs. Blue
Genre: F/M, Feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-03-24
Updated: 2012-03-24
Packaged: 2017-11-02 10:57:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,728
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/368234
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/runawayballista/pseuds/runawayballista
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Delta tries to tell York, over and over again, that nothing good can come of his feelings, but York knows he just doesn't get it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Policies of Relation

It’s weird having another voice in his head, 24/7, and even though York’s _almost_ gotten used to it, he still jumps a little every time Delta’s voice bubbles up in his head. He’s at least convinced his AI to project that little hologram whenever he wants to talk. Delta says it’s not very discreet, but York tells him when he needs discretion, he’ll ask for it.

But even when Delta’s not talking, he’s there in the back of York’s mind, a background process. He soaks up little bits of information from York’s mind, even when he doesn’t go looking for it, just catches spare thoughts and stores them away as data automatically. He’s not intrusive, not by nature, and Delta respects York’s privacy. But there’s a level of access he has just by virtue of being in such a private space, and York doesn’t know how to keep every thought from Delta’s unblinking analysis.

At first, it’s harmless. It’s quirky and kind of cute, the way Delta’s little green avatar flickers into view merely to inquire whether or not York is aware that he’s about to exceed his recommended daily caloric intake for the day, and when York laughs and brushes it off, Delta instead proposes a more rigorous exercise regimen to make up for the imbalance. It’s funny, how weird and humorlessly practical Delta is, and York thinks there’s a sort of complementary charm in it. He thinks he can see the reasoning behind this assignment.

But there’s a line. There’s always a line -- Delta just doesn’t see it, doesn’t know how. And that’s all well and fine, until he crosses it, and York’s stuck repeating himself, telling him “don’t, don’t, don’t,” until he remembers that there are two magic words that’ll make his AI shut up. For a little while, at least. He can’t keep Delta in shutdown forever, and it’s not his fault, not really. He’s only trying to help.

It starts in the mess hall. York’s sitting and listening to North make small talk with him and Wash, but a flash of bright red hair catches his eye and he finds himself watching Carolina walk across the room, noting the slight limp in her gait. He doesn’t even realize he’s staring until he feel a buzz in the back of his head and Delta’s gentle green glow is on the edge of his vision.

“Agent York,” says Delta.

“I told you, D,” he says, turning back to his plate. “York’s just fine.”

Delta doesn’t say anything, not really, until York’s back in his bunk, strapping his armor on for training. He starts asking questions, innocuous questions, and York thinks it’s some standard AI get-to-know-you routine until he realizes the questions are all about Carolina.

“What do you want me to say, D?” He cracks his knuckles, feeling the gloves twist around his fingers. “She looked like she was hurt. Carolina and I, we’re buddies. I was just worried, is all. That’s normal.”

“I have noticed,” Delta says carefully, “that you often think of her.”

York looks up at the little hologram man, an expressionless light show encased in armor. “D, what’d I tell you about digging around in there?”

“As requested, I have not examined your personal memory banks,” says Delta. “However, it is...difficult not to index your conscious feelings while I am active. Due to the level of integration necessitated by my assignment, there is a certain level of sensitivity that I am not able to disable.”

“Of course,” York mutters, reaching for his helmet. “Goes to figure.”

“It is to better assist you in the field,” Delta assures him.

“Yeah, I’m sure. Of course, they didn’t think about what would happen _off_ the field.” There’s a rap at the door, and York secures his helmet around his head. “We’ll have to talk later, D. Time to hit the range.”

“It would not be difficult for me to continue this line of discussion and still assist you in your training session.”

“Yeah, well, _I’m_ not an AI, D. I need my mind on the job. Just shelve it for now.”

“Affirmative,” Delta says, and his hologram flickers off.

===

York forgets about the conversation in the buzz of energy that comes with the training session, and as he’s cooling off in the showers his mind is on anything but Delta and his trivial concerns. Mostly he’s thinking about Carolina, wondering if she’s gone to see a medic yet about her leg. He’d seen her outside the training room, tried to stop her to ask about that limp, but she’d brushed him off, irritated. He can only guess it must be something to do with Tex. She’s been bitter lately, bitter that Tex was the first to get an AI, bitter even at him that his was implanted before hers, even though she’s still ranked above him. York doesn’t know what to say about that, and things between them have been tense, and he thinks maybe he should stop by her bunk later to see if she needs to get anything off her chest. He doesn’t like this tension between them, not like this, not when things between them are usually so glib and easy.

He sees her again the next day, and her limp is mostly gone. She still won’t talk to him about what happened, but she seems a little more at ease. She even smiles at him, once, and it lifts his spirits. When she leaves, York’s alone in the corridor, until Delta reappears before him.

“Agent York, I feel I must advise you.”

“I told you, D, York’s just fine.” York scratches at the nape of his neck gingerly. It itches lately, just under the hairline. “What’s up?”

“Your emotions toward Agent Carolina are inappropriate,” Delta informs him. “You are in danger of fraternization.”

York bristles, glaring with his one good eye at the hologram, even knowing it won’t do him any good. It’s just a construct, anyway. “You want to say that again?”

“You are in danger of fraternization,” Delta repeats. “It is against regulation.”

“I’m not doing anything,” York says, brushing him off.

Delta says, “But there is a seventy-four percent chance you will.”

===

“I have run several simulations,” Delta announces. It’s what passes as evening on the _Mother of Invention_ , and York’s busy cleaning out his rifle. He’s done it so many times by now that he could probably take it apart and put it back together again with his eyes closed. “Possible outcomes are unfavorable. I advise against fraternization.”

“No one’s fraternizing,” York mutters.

“You are.”

“You wanna tell me how you arrived at that conclusion?”

“You spend, on average, 31 more minutes per day in her company than any other inhabitant of this base. In her presence, I have observed an increase in both your heart rate and blood pressure -- ”

“That’s not fraternization, D. That’s just having feelings.”

“I cannot advocate the pursuit of such feelings, Agent York,” says Delta. For a computer program, he’s a stubborn little shit, York thinks. “They may cause you to become volatile and interfere with the execution of your duties.”

“It’s called compartmentalization,” York sighs, and he finishes reassembling his rifle, sliding the last piece into place with a satisfying click. He turns it over in his hands, examining it under the green glow of Delta’s holographic projection. “I wouldn’t worry about it.”

===

Carolina finally gets her AI assignment, and the night before implantation, York visits her in her bunk. She’s not scared, but she’s nervous, on a deep, primal level that she has no choice in feeling. York knows that feeling. He remembers how it ate away at his stomach the night before his implantation, no matter how convinced he was that he’d be fine.

They don’t do much but talk a little and drink the beers that York brought over, but he sits with her until it’s late and the gentle hum of silence falls over the _Mother of Invention_ , and that’s what matters. He doesn’t leave until the beers are gone and his voice cracks, and he makes sure she’s smiling, even just a little, when he does. And he keeps a promise he didn’t make, and he gets up just a few hours later to go to the med bay for her implantation. He doesn’t get to see her before she goes in, but he waves at her through the glass and gives her the stupidest grin he can muster. He thinks it helps, even if it’s just a little bit.

There’s an air of serenity about him, leaning against the wall and watching through the glass, and it doesn’t even ripple when Delta flickers into view beside him. “You can give it a rest, D,” he says, before the AI can even start. “I don’t need you lecturing me about all this.”

“I’m not lecturing,” says Delta. “I’m merely concerned about your well-being. I have run the simulations. An intimate relationship with Agent Carolina carries an eighty-nine percent chance of failure.”

“Can’t fail at something you never go for,” York murmurs. Things are silent for a while, the distant sounds from beyond the glass just barely reaching them.

“York,” says Delta, and for the first time that he can recall, York detects a tone of uncertainty in his voice. “May I make an inquiry?”

“Knock yourself out.”

“You have no intention of pursuing an intimate relationship with Agent Carolina, and yet you continue to harbor such feelings for her. Why is that?”

“It’s out of my hands, D. I don’t really get much of a say on it.”

“I do not understand.”

York lets out a long breath, raking his fingers through his hair. “I’m a human being, D. I can’t just erase my feelings, or cut around the parts that don’t fit. They’re just there, and they’re always gonna be there, and the best I can do is carry them with me.”

“I see,” Delta says quietly, and he takes a moment to process that, mulling it over. “So you are acting well within normal parameters.”

“A little too well,” York sighs, and settles in against the wall to wait for the end of Carolina’s implantation. For the first time, he finds the green glow of Delta’s hologram comforting, and as they wait in the cool, empty hall, he feels oddly comfortable.


End file.
